On May 26, 2022, graduating students from special education classrooms in Northampton and Monroe counties celebrated their accomplishments from their time in CIU 20 programs. The ceremony was held at Colonial Academy in Wind Gap, PA. Ms. Jackie Bartek, Supervisor of Special Education, and Dr. Christopher Wolfel, Executive Director, presided over this year's ceremony.

Each graduate received a certificate of participation from CIU 20 and representatives from each of the ten districts were at the ceremony to present graduates with their district diplomas. Graduates also had the opportunity to participate in their home school district’s ceremony. More pictures can be found here.

Isaiah Ferandez

Mason Jackus

Daniel Morales

Nathan Musselman

Janlee Rodriguez-Rivera

Nathaniel Stanley

Sabrina Claire Swiss

Matthew Banka

Anuhya Devershetty

Nole Robert Ebner

Gustavo Flores

Gabriella N. DeLeon

Ian Thomas Haener

Kailyn Emily Haldaman

George Papageorgio

Jason T. Beltz

Seth Lechman

Anthony R. Marrone

Georgianna Houck Nolf

Anthony Michael Samaan

Thomas W. Sedor, Jr

Stephanie Marie Trynkiewicz

Logan Wismer

Alex Svolos

David Weintraub

Jared Khan

Isaiah Noah Jerimme Williams

Michael T. Carter

Matthew Castillo

Camron Paul Fish

Cassandra Saunders

Lauren Emilia Dietrick

On June 6, 2022, eleven students were celebrated for completing their Project SEARCH internship, an innovative program in partnership with Kalahari Resorts in Pocono Manor. Project SEARCH is a one year training program for young adults with disabilities to gain work experience and obtain competitive employment in their communities.

Mr. Mason Messinger, CIU 20 teacher, presided over the ceremony and each graduate shared what they learned in their internships to the audience that included families, Kalahari representatives, district representatives, CIU 20 representatives, and other local and state agencies.

Brittney Catalano

Jayden Escuadro

Joshua Mancuso

Rossy Sawyer

Ben Yerance

Khem-El Johnson

Ireland McShane

Antonio Orozco Jr.

Joshua Satisfield

Tabitha Tullos

Julia Garver

On May 27, 2022, Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 recognized twenty one students who attend Colonial Academy and graduated this spring from their respective school districts in Northampton and Monroe counties. Colonial Academy Principal Dr. Carolyn Krotowski and Assistant Principal Mr. Mike Halamar presided over the ceremony. The entire staff of Colonial Academy and Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 wish these graduates success in their future endeavors.

Angel Fletcher

Nash J Harman

Ryan Moyer

Conner J Royer

Isiah M Cruz

David Gomez

Nathan Musselman

Janlee Rodriguez-Rivera

Thomas Schafer

Idris K Thompson

Katie Maier

Keith J St Clair

Stephen Biszek III

Fantasia Ash Bubick

Logan Forte

Joshua Phillips

Anthony Samaan

William M Adams

Maria Ottomanelli

Khalill L Mayes

Grace Harris

On June 10, 2022, students from Colonial IU 20 programs participated in this year's prom, held at Colonial Academy in Wind Gap. The event was planned by a committee of volunteers from the staff of CIU 20 and the families of the CIU 20 Parent Support T.E.A.M.

Logan Wismer (Pen Argyl Area SD) was named Prom King and Georgianna Nolf (Northampton Area SD) was named Prom Queen.

Thank you to the volunteers and community partners that donated their time and resources to make this event a reality for students and families:

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 has been working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on the initiative of "The Accelerated Learning System" - which states that academic achievement and social/emotional well being are accelerated by a strong foundation of healthy system conditions and scaffolded supports. Simply put, CIU 20 has been assisting districts in creating a supportive learning environment. This can be further defined as strategically identifying learning and social/emotional gaps for students given the varied impact of the pandemic, while offering resources and technical assistance to close those gaps.

Following is an overview of the supports, resources and training that CIU 20 has provided to member districts in the past year.

Christopher Hindson has been an Occupational Therapist with Colonial IU 20 since 2004. He has also served as a facilitator for the northern location of the Extended School Year program for the last ten years. He says that the most rewarding part of being a part of the CIU 20 team is "getting the opportunity to work with a team of people trying to help kids become independent and successful in life." In terms of staying focused when things don't go as planned, he credits his ability to go with the flow and pivot to help students succeed, specifically "being flexible...jump from one task to something completely different is the way that I can get things done in challenging environments."

Mr. Hindson tries to connect with students by remaining positive, "I try to keep an upbeat attitude and try to get the kids to feed off those vibes. Having a friendly demeanor really helps the kids want to engage and work on tasks that would otherwise be difficult. In the tough times, I think its important to bring the calm to the crazy."

Christopher Hindson's advice to new staff members is to "think outside the box and not to be afraid to talk to building administrators and supervisors about ideas and ways to help our students." He is modeling that advice with his recent collaboration with Kristen Miele-Beatty, National Art Honor Society Advisor at Pocono Mountain West High School, on a new Sensory Path project at Tobyhanna Elementary Center. Through this project, high school art students will design and install Occupational Therapy (OT) Sensory Paths for use in shared hallway spaces. This will help make OT exercises more accessible to all students.

Mr. Hindson's motivation for this project came from his recognition that schools don't always have the resources or capacity to create a dedicated space for a "sensory room" - a therapeutic space with a variety of equipment that provides students an opportunity to calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others. Chris and his Occupational Therapy fieldwork students created a sensory path model at Clear Run Elementary Center that was received very well by the staff and students. "We have plans for next school year to add more to the hallway and possibly branch out to even more locations," says Chris.

The CIU 20 leadership team thanks the dedicated individuals who retired this year for their years serving our IU 20 family and public education.

The Colonial IU 20 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee seeks to foster a sense of belonging for all students, families, and staff. Below is what is being celebrated this month.

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.

Pride month honors the accomplishments of individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, while also recognizing the continued efforts to achieve equal justice and equal opportunities.

Follow us on our social media channels to learn more about the resiliency of #AmazingIU20Kids and creative approaches to learning that our #AmazingIU20Staff have implemented!

At Colonial IU 20, we believe in RELATIONSHIPS that support student growth, RESPONSIVENESS to stakeholders crucial needs, RESULTS demonstrated through effective services and programs, and INNOVATION to improve student outcomes.